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Thursday, January 15, 2009

Splendid Table: Tagliarini & frozen zabaione

That's my sweet, zany mother feeding pasta into the machine last night. She is also author of this lovely email I received today:

"Checked TB to comment on last night's delights and you hadn't written yet. The tagliarini was truly amazing. I think you are turning me into a foodie. I loved the unique texture, the lemony sauce, the lightness. We do a great job with that pasta.

"On the dessert, which I thought about after (as an emerging foodie), I think the problem was that it was just plain bland. Not bad, not unpleasant, just no character. Not nutty, not rich, not sticky, not creamy.

"Just started some sourdough bread this morning and wondered whether you should consider doing a 'sourdough thing' at some point. Just an idea."

And a fine idea it is, Mom.

But you need details on what we ate last night. We made tagliarini, a super-skinny egg noodle much like spaghettini, for which -- to atone for recent tuna extravagance -- we prepared an ascetic sauce (from Lynne Rossetto Kasper) with ingredients already on hand: lemon, anchovies, parsley.

The lean sauce, as one would expect, was no great shakes, but the pasta itself -- like satin! I just consumed some leftovers cold from the fridge and they are almost as dreamy the next day. You do not get results like this from factory-made pasta, and don't let that bossy Marcella Hazan tell you different.

Sounds and looks luscious, doesn't it? Isabel and I were hoping this would resemble the crazy delicious semi-freddo of the other night. But no. Our labors were rewarded with an inert block of hazelnut cream overwhelmed by harsh chocolate sauce. Typical overbearing chocolate behavior. Sheesh.

Don't know how much longer I should stick with The Splendid Table, which is an absolutely stupendous cookbook, in case you were wondering. While there are several dozen more recipes I want to try, next week makes a natural stopping place. (Business trip.)

So, what next? Rachael Ray? Ina Garten? A Platter of Figs? Sourdough? If there's a cookbook one of you is liking (or disliking) it would be fun to collaborate. I get lonely doing this all on my own.

30 comments:

Here is a comment from Owen: First of all,tagliarini hereseems tasteless and I mean TASTELESS!so next Wednsday try to thinkabout that,okay?Now about desert,"the cream"(wich wasin't as good as the pasta)wasint that great,but it was still good.p.s.I thought it was calledfrozen zabaione!

A Platter of Figs! PLEASE! I want to collaborate, and as fate would have it, I JUST put that cookbook on my wishlist, so you would give me a perfectly legitimate reason to purchase it. Okay, I know I don't have seniority, but at least I'm earnest...

Moro by Sam & Sam Clark. Shelf essential? Yes. An all-time favorite. A brilliant and fascinating book about the cuisines of North Africa and the Mediterranean.

Gourmet Today edited by Ruth Reichl. Shelf Essential? No. Not a bad book, but it can't decide if it's aspiring to be an all-purpose classic or something else entirely. It's neither. Recipes are mostly solid, few outstanding.

Mexico, One Plate at a Time by Rick Bayless. Shelf essential? No, but a very useful and reliable Mexican cookbook.

Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook by Fuchsia Dunlop. Shelf essential? Yes, especially if you're a Chinese food fanatic and want to delve into its regional cuisines. Though some of the recipes are too weird even for me, the beef with cumin was one of the best things I've ever cooked.

The Seventh Daughter by Cecilia Chiang. Shelf essential? Sure, though if there's only room in your collection for one "basic" Chinese cookbook go for Barbara Tropp's Modern Art of Chinese Cooking.